The holidays are a great time to celebrate and enjoy friends and family. Decorating and cooking create amazing memories for everyone. As you begin decorating it’s a good time to inspect your lights and decorations with safety in mind.

Because I care about you I’ve included a page of safety tips to ponder (below).

Can you spot the problem with this picture?

Holiday Home Safety Tips:

Lighting

• Use caution with decorations and, whenever possible, choose those made with flame-resistant, flame-retardant and non-combustible materials.
• Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials, and do not use candles to decorate Christmas trees.
• Carefully inspect new and previously used light strings, and replace damaged items before plugging lights in.
• Do not overload extension cords.
• When possible, replace lights with new LED ones. They operate at cooler temperatures and are less likely to start a fire.
• Don’t mount lights in any way that can damage the cord’s wire insulation. To hold lights in place, string them through hooks or insulated staples–don’t use nails or tacks. Never pull or tug lights to remove them.
• Keep children and pets away from light strings and electrical decorations.
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become electrified from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.
• Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use.
• Make sure all the bulbs work and that there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.
• Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground-fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential shocks.
• Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.

Decorations

• Use only non-combustible and flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel and artificial icicles of plastic and non-leaded metals.
• Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down.
• In homes with small children, avoid decorations that are sharp and breakable, and keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children.
• Avoid trimmings that resemble candy and food that may tempt a young child to put them in his mouth.

Holiday Entertaining

• Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S. When cooking for holiday visitors, remember to keep an eye on the range.
• Keep matches and lighters up high, out of sight and reach of children (preferably in a locked cabinet).
• Test your smoke alarms, and let guests know what your fire escape plan is.

Courtesy of Linnea Jones – Windermere Real Estate / Northeast, Inc.

425-765-2211

This information is adapted from various sources and should not be relied upon as definitive or authoritative. Reader should seek professional advice before proceeding.

P.S. Save the date for the Santa Party at my Windermere office.

Saturday, December 7^th 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Free pictures with Santa – Crafts for all ages – Live music

Hotdogs, Cookies, Cider, Hot Chocolate, & ESPRESSO